Strategic CSR - Cognitive dissonance

I enjoy reading Bloomberg's Green Daily newsletter. It is backed by a great deal of expertise and insight into the evolving environmental crisis we are imposing on the planet. My only suggestion would be that, more often than not, it reads like an extreme weather forecast — guess what, it is hot out there (except when it is cold)!

The newsletter sent on January 19 is notable because it clearly highlights the juxtaposition that is so often prevalent in sustainability discussions — we know what is happening and that we need to do something about it, but guess what … we are not acting nearly as quickly as is required.

This dissonance is highlighted initially by the headline article in the newsletter, which focuses on the market-driven costs to companies that ignore climate change:

"This month, a paper published by the European Central Bank found that banks with the greatest so-called transition risks now 'face significantly higher borrowing costs' in funding markets. That followed a December paper by analysts at the Central Bank of Ireland, which showed that companies facing physical climate risks are in a similar predicament, and will need to provide more collateral."

So far, so good. Unfortunately, a graph further down the newsletter, in a separate article about China's annual coal production, highlights the countervailing forces that, more often than not, cancel out any progress that is being made. Specifically, in spite of its amazing progress in generating electricity from sustainable fuel sources, China's demand for energy is such that it takes it from whatever source it can get it:

Oh well, half right.
Take care
David
 
David Chandler
Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Sustainable Value Creation (6e)
© Sage Publications, 2023
 
Instructor Teaching and Student Study Site: https://study.sagepub.com/chandler6e  
Strategic CSR Simulation: http://www.strategiccsrsim.com/
The library of CSR Newsletters are archived at: https://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/
 

Banks Ignore Transition Risk at Their Own Peril, ECB Warns
By Alastair Marsh and Laura Millan
January 19, 2026
Bloomberg Green Daily
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-01-19/ecb-warns-banks-should-heed-transition-risk